A tale of two distant war zones

[Toronto Star]

Hundreds of thousands of trapped refugees are cowering under the assault of fighter jets and mortars, with uncounted casualties and warnings of “genocidal” atrocities from human rights activists. Ignoring the pact cobbled together long ago by Norwegian negotiators, the government is using its lopsided military advantage to pummel enemy fighters who shelter in schools and use human shields. After decades of inconclusive fighting, the government still refuses to recognize the rump statelet on its doorstep, even at the cost of more suicide bombers stalking its civilians. And despite its democratic pretensions, the government bans all foreign journalists from the war zone, perhaps hoping for less graphic images of the hospitals and schools it has bombed.